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Meal Planning

Meal planning

If you are like me, two things are going through your head lately. One, time to reel it in and get my eating back on track. Time to tighten things up and put the holidays sweets away. Two, back to school and evening activities are taking over my calendar in a serious way. How to balance getting the kids everywhere and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for momma (and kids).


Planning is key. Every Sunday, during littlests nap I pull out my trusty Lilly Pulitzer planner and get to work planning our weeks meals.  I like to take into account weather... I’m not big of eating soup when its 90 degrees out!


On a normal day, we usually eat between 5:30-6:00. We have young kiddos (9,6,2)... the babe of the group goes to bed by 7:30 most nights. That means we can not push supper back too late. One of my kiddos has a 5:30 basketball practice one day a week. On that night, we eat after practice. I try and have something ready to go on those nights. Hello Crockpot.

So, once I have planned out dinners for the week, I start on my list. Taking into account what I’m going to pack the kids for lunches, breakfasts at home and my lunches. Then I order my groceries from Click List. This is through Kroger! I use the app from my phone!  It is SOOOO easy to use! If you are a mom and haven’t done this yet... DO IT. It is life changing! This is my opinion, I am not getting a discount on groceries, I am not getting paid....This is just one mom to another!  I order on Sunday evenings and pick up Monday mornings. I drop the kids off at school, swing by Starbucks and pull in the parking spot of joy. I call the number, Earl (the nice older man that always brings my groceries out) loads my groceries into the trunk, hands my 2 year old a sucker and I’m on my way. My weekly 1 1/2-2 hours of shopping with my toddler is a 5 minutes stop of bliss now!  We live in a moderate size town and this is really our best most affordable option.  We have Instacrt, which I have used in a pinch before (stomach flu).  Many of my friends who live in bigger cities use Amazon delivery, which I have heard is amazing.  That type of service isn’t available to me.

Familiar is best. For the kids (and my husband) familiar is always a winner. Grilled chicken, spaghetti, grilled hamburgers, soup, tacos etc.  When I am planning my meals for the week I try to stick to tried and true favorites and simple meals for week nights.

I like to change things up a little to expose my littles to new things, but keep enough the same for them to be comfortable and willing to fill their bellies without a fight. Recently, I start cooking asparagus in a new way...my kids love it.  My 9 year old asks me to make it!  

Small changes and options for yourself.  Right after Thanksgiving I went low carb. We had just gotten back from an all inclusive in Mexico and I needed a quick detox. I still made our usual favorites, but gave myself healthier options. I did salad instead of tortillas on taco night. Butternut squash noodles instead of penne on pasta night. It really wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it’d be.  Needless to say those small changes helped me lose 6lbs in 10 days. I’m starting this again. Im going to be a bit more moderate for a longer standing fix. Generally increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables and decreasing the processed foods and simple carbs as a lifestyle change.

Be flexible. Some days just don’t work out how you think they will. You run out of time, get home late, traffic, your kid misses the bus.... you name it. Give yourself some grace. I like to have a back up plan. Whether that back up plan is Pb & J or a box of Mac & Cheese... that depends on your kids! My back up plan for me & the hubs is always a charcuterie board (and a glass of wine). Win -win for everyone 

Here is an example of my weekly meal plan:

Monday- spaghetti w/meat sauce

Tuesday - grilled chicken fingers, spinach salad & roasted green beans

Wednesday - oven baked bean & cheese burritos with salad

Thursday - grilled burgers, salad & roasted potatoes 

Friday - breakfast for dinner - - crustless quiche, turkey sausage & cinnamon toast


Once you have your list of meals it’s easier to shop and budget your grocery allotment. Also, don’t sweat it if you don’t follow your plan perfectly. I almost expect to make adjustments throughout the week. If I don’t use up something try and think of  a way to use it over the weekend, in lunches or make it freezer ready. Example, if the burgers didn’t make the cut... go ahead and brown that hamburger meat with some spices and stick it on the freezer. You’ll be ready for family taco night in a snap next week!
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